Steve Jobs RIP

Steve Jobs has been so much a part of our collective consciousness for so long that I think we all took it for granted that we would be able to continue ad infinitum to be entertained and fascinated with his seemingly endless ability to create new and advanced technological inventions. His death yesterday, October 5, 2011, has created a huge gaping hole in that consciousness.

the siren call of the library

ok, ok, i'll be the first to admit that i'm addicted to books. and that includes library books. about 4 years ago, in the middle of a project i was working on, i actually had 46 items checked out. 46!! normally i'll have a stack of 12-15 books at any given time. and don't ask me how i know it was 46, because then i'd have to explain my obsessive-compulsive, anal-retentive record keeping, and that's another topic for another day.

at the beginning of 2011, i decided to return everything and start all over again, so for a brief moment in time i actually had ZERO library books checked out. that brief moment in time lasted all of a millisecond, because i was also picking up several books from the "Hold" shelf.

yesterday i returned 7 books, which the library staff processed today. so now, for a whole day, a whole 24 hours, i only have 1 book checked out. i'm so proud of myself *grin*

tomorrow i will return to the library to pick up more "holds" and the vicious cycle will start anew.

why have 1 when you can have 3?

no, no, i'm not talking about candy or cookies, i'm talking blogs. not that i'm staying current with the one blog i already have, but ....

i just created two new blogs, which i'll add to the sidebar for easy reference. one is for my riley family posts and one will be for mo's art stuff, like journal pages and index cards.

that's my story and i'm sticking to it.

words to live by

today's post on Daisy Yellow really struck a chord with me. i need to push away from the keyboard and work on my art journal or my doodle camp journal or my index-card-a-day project or my camp nano writing project or my [fill in the blank] ....

i spend WAY too much time online, it's an addiction! now, how to break the ugly cycle?

fabulous surprise in today's mail

a couple of weeks ago i ordered the latest "zine" from an artist in the UK whose sketchblog i read regularly. her name is Andrea Joseph, and you can find her blog here. be sure to also check out her "book on a blog" about the woodland folk, as well as her Etsy shop. i have all her earlier zines, too, and i've given several as gifts. everyone just loves them.

anyway, the package arrived today, yeay! notice that the mailer has "Royal Mail" stamped on it! that's probably as close as i'll get to the royal wedding. PLUS my copy was #5 of a limited edition of 75. the zine itself was inside a lovely envelope lined in rich, dark green, and included a charming handwritten note and a special acorn gift tag direct from the woodland folk. now i feel really special.

Andrea's attention to detail is just awe-inspiring, and the fact that she does 99.9% of it with ballpoint pens just adds to the inspiration and creativity. check out some of the illustrations on her blog; many of my personal favorites can be found on Andrea's Flickr page. just click on "your faves" in the right hand column. her illustrations just draw you in, you can't help it. and you'll be gobsmacked and delighted, all at the same time, i promise.

all of Andrea's designs are copyrighted, so please do not reproduce without permission. as she said in her latest zine, "You really wouldn't want to face the wrath of an angry pixie. Believe me."